Welcome back to another edition of Fan Friday, the series that shines a spotlight on the depth, breadth and brilliance of UK small businesses from within the Enterprise Nation community .✨
This week, it’s the turn of Monique Thomas, a London-based graphic designer and founder of Be The Other, a multi-wear accessories brand built around one simple idea: you don’t necessarily need more clothes, you just need new ways to wear them.
Read Monique’s founder story below and take a look at some of her incredible designs – guaranteed to leave you feeling inspired to see your own wardrobe differently. ✨
As always, don't forget to show some love in the comments 🫶
Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m Monique, a London-based graphic designer and the founder of Be The Other, a multi-wear accessories brand. My career includes design roles at Eurostar and Entain, where I led creative teams and projects across retail, brand and visual communications. I recently got into freelancing full time, so design has been a big part of my life for a long time.
Be The Other started from my love of fashion, but also from a frustration with how easy it is to feel like you constantly need something new to wear. I’ve always loved accessories, particularly brooches, and started experimenting with ways to use them to change and personalise clothes I already owned. That idea eventually grew into a business.
What started with handmade brooches has now evolved into multi-wear accessories, including silk scarves. I’m still figuring things out as I go, but that’s one of the things I enjoy most about building the brand, there’s always another idea to explore.
For someone discovering Be The Other for the first time, how would you describe the brand?
Be The Other is a multi-wear accessories brand that encourages you to look at your wardrobe differently and embrace your own way of expressing yourself.
The name Be The Other is a call to be different. Rather than following the crowd or feeling like you need to dress a certain way, I want to encourage people to celebrate what makes them individual, to be the person who does things a little differently. Be The Other.
Be The Other is the place to go for statement brooches and 100% silk scarves designed to be worn in lots of different ways and for all kinds of occasions. A brooch can move from your lapel to your jeans, bag or scarf, while a scarf can become a top, belt, bag, headscarf, or whatever else you can dream up.
At the heart of the brand is a simple idea: you don’t necessarily need more clothes, you just need new ways to wear them. It’s about seeing more possibilities in what you already own, having fun with your style and making it your own.
If Be The Other could change one thing about the way people think about fashion and their wardrobes, what would it be?
I’d love people to see their wardrobes as more of a playground and less of a problem to solve. We’re constantly being encouraged to buy the next thing, the next trend, the next outfit, the next "wardrobe essential". But sometimes we already have really great pieces sitting in our wardrobes that we've simply stopped seeing.
I want people to get curious about what they already own. Change the way you tie a scarf. Move a brooch somewhere unexpected. Layer something differently. Wear the "nice" thing on a Tuesday.
For me, style isn't always about having more. It's about seeing more possibilities in what you already have.
Is there a particular design principle or creative rule that you always come back to?
Make it simple, but don't make it boring. I love design that has a strong, simple idea behind it. Whether I'm designing a brand identity or an accessory, I want there to be enough clarity that you understand it immediately, but enough personality that it makes you stop and look twice.
I'm also a big believer in designing with purpose. If something doesn't need to be there, take it away. But if something can add a little joy, surprise or personality, I'm all for it.
How does your graphic-design background influence the way you approach accessories?
Probably more than I realise! I'm so used to thinking about composition, colour, shape, balance and how things work together visually. I think I naturally approach an accessory almost like a piece of graphic design. What is the focal point? How does it interact with everything around it? How can a simple shape create a strong visual impact?
It also influences how I think about versatility. As a designer, I'm always looking for different ways an idea can be communicated or used, and I bring that same thinking to my accessories. A scarf isn't just a scarf. A brooch isn't just a brooch. They're little design tools you can use to create your own look.
How do you decide who you want to collaborate with? What do you look for in a potential partner?
I look for people and brands where there’s a genuine connection, rather than simply thinking this could be good exposure. My collaboration with The Lab Co. as my homecare partner is a great example of this. It brought together two brands with a shared interest in helping people get more from the things they already own and care about.
I’m particularly interested in collaborators who share my values around creativity, individuality and encouraging people to think differently. I’d also love to collaborate with people who create products or accessories, or simply have a real love for styling, where there’s an opportunity to create something that feels useful, unexpected and inspiring, giving customers more versatility and more ways to make what they already have feel new again.
And, honestly, I have to like the people! I think the best collaborations happen when there’s a natural chemistry and you’re both genuinely excited about what you could create together.
And finally, what has surprised you most about becoming a founder?
How many different hats you have to wear. One minute I'm designing, the next I'm working out finances, writing an Instagram caption, packaging orders, doing admin or trying to work out whether to show my face on social media or not. There’s definitely no "that's not my job" when you're running a small business.
But I think what has surprised me most is how much I've enjoyed being responsible for the whole thing. When you're working as a designer within a larger organisation, you’re usually responsible for one part of a much bigger picture. With Be The Other, I get to think about everything - the product, the brand, the customer experience and where the business could go next.
It's exciting, occasionally chaotic, and definitely a learning curve. But I wouldn't have it any other way (she says).
Check out more Be The Other content here.